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Entertainment

08th Nov 2022

Netflix renews controversial Monster series for 2 more seasons

Sarah McKenna Barry

We’re getting more series of The Watcher, as well.

Despite being branded as insensitive by many viewers, Netflix has confirmed that there will be two more seasons of the Monster series.

The first series, titled Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, landed on the streaming platform this summer. It told the story of real-life series killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

Now, Netflix is extending its Monster universe, with two more instalments focused on other serial killers.

As Collider reports, Netflix’s Head of Global TV Bela Bajaria announced teased the future of the series in a statement, which also promised additional series of The Watcher.

Bajara’s statement read: “Audiences can’t take their eyes off ‘Monster’ and ‘The Watcher’. The creative team of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan on Monster along with Eric Newman on ‘The Watcher’ are masterful storytellers who captivated audiences all over the world.

“The back-to-back force of these two series is due to Ryan’s distinct original voice which created cultural sensations and we are thrilled to continue telling stories in the Monster and Watcher universes.”

The Watcher also landed on Netflix this summer, and the first season, which stars Jennifer Coolidge and Naomi Watts, follows the story of a family who are stalked after moving into their dream home.

Dahmer, which starred Evan Peters in the titular role, is one of Netflix’s most-watched shows of all times, having accumulated over 900 million viewing hours. However, it has also been criticised for its coverage of real people and real events, with many of Dahmer’s victims’ families speaking out, and saying that the series has re-traumatised them.

Shirley Hughes’ son Tony was murdered by Dahmer in 1991. She has criticised Ryan Murphy’s TV show, telling The Guardian that the real life events “didn’t happen” as they were portrayed on the series. She also stated that the programme was made without the permission of any of the victims’ families.

Eric Perry, who is cousin of Errol Lindsey, has also spoken out. Lindsey was killed by Jeffrey in his apartment in 1991, and his cousin has said that the show was made without the permission of the families.

On Twitter, he wrote: “To answer the main question, no, they don’t notify families when they do this. It’s all public record, so they don’t have to notify (or pay!) anyone. My family found out when everyone else did… I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show. It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?”